Education  in  Korea 


A SUPREME  OPPORTUNITY  FOR  THE 
CHRISTIAN  CHURCH 


By 

GEORGE  IIEBER  JONES 


KOREA  QUARTER -CENTENNIAL  COMMISSION 
BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS  OF  THE 
METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

150  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 


9 


OLD  TIME  KOREAN  DAY  SCHOOL 


CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  IN 
KOREA 


A missionary  opening  work  in  a new  region  started  a 
school.  Among  the  boys  who  presented  themselves  was  one 
nine  years  old,  with  soiled  clothing,  wrinkled  face,  and  eyes 
set  so  close  together  he  looked  like  a rat.  The  missionary 
was  drawn  to  the  lad  because  he  looked  so  forlorn,  and  told 
him  of  the  Saviour  who  loved  him  and  would  help  him  to 
become  a strong,  good  man.  He  gave  his  heart  to  Christ 
with  the  utter  abandon  that  marks  a boy’s  loyalty,  and 
was  instrumental  in  leading  his  mother  to  become  a Christian. 
Then  the  mother  and  son  together  brought  the  father  to  the 
church,  and  he  was  shortly  afterward  converted  and  became 
one  of  the  most  influential  and  effective  Christians  the 
Korean  Church  has  ever  known.  Among  the  many  people 
whom  the  father  led  to  like  saving  faith  with  himself  was  a 
merchant,  who  in  his  turn  became  a strong  and  successful 
lay  worker.  In  the  course  of  the  years  this  merchant  suf- 
fered financial  reverses,  and,  selling  out  his  business,  went 
south,  purchased  farm  lands,  and  settled  in  a heathen  village 
of  thirty-five  families.  The  first  Sunday  he  was  there  he 
invited  his  neighbors  to  a Christian  service  in  his  own  house. 
One  man  came.  The  next  Sunday  two  men  were  present; 
the  third  Sunday,  three  men;  and  the  fourth  Sunday,  six 
men.  Five  months  later,  when  the  missionary  visited  that 
town  for  the  first  time,  he  found  that  of  the  thirty-five 
families  living  there  only  two  still  professed  to  be  heathen. 
The  rest  were  all  Christians,  and  they  had  organized  under 
the  leadership  of  the  Christian  merchant  a church  with 
eighty-six  members.  There  were  no  schools,  so  the  Christian 
opened  a night  school  for  boys  in  his  house,  with  his  son  as 
teacher,  and  twenty-six  pupils  were  enrolled.  The  Chris- 

3 


tian’s  daughter,  a girl  fourteen  years  of  age,  opened  a school 
for  girls,  and  she  had  fourteen  pupils  in  constant  attend- 
ance. This  is  interesting  as  an  incident,  but  note  the  chain 
of  events  with  their  results.  A missionary  opens  a boys’ 


school  in  1892;  a boy  attends 
it,  is  saved,  is  instrumental 
in  converting  his  parents, 
who  in  their  turn  lead  a 
merchant  to  Christ;  and  then 
seventeen  years  later  that 
merchant,  with  the  same 
power  that  first  found  its 
lodgment  in  the  little  lad’s 
heart,  is  instrumental  in  con- 
verting a village  and  estab- 
lishing two  schools,  while  the 
boy  himself  has  come  to 
America  and  is  a student  in 
one  of  our  Methodist  uni- 
versities. It  is  incidents  like 
these  that  set  the  seal  of 
divine  approval  upon  the 
work  of  Christian  education, 
and  show  how  immeasurable 
are  its  results. 

DEMAND  FOR  MODERN 
EDUCATION 


KOREAN  BOY, 

non-christian  A great  opportunity  con- 

fronts the  Christian  Church 
in  Korea.  At  least  four  millions  of  children  and  young  people 
are  turning  eagerly  to  the  new  education.  To  secure  and 
maintain  the  leadership  in  the  training  of  these  young  peo- 
ple will  mean  the  permanent  Christianization  of  the  Korean 
people.  There  is  at  the  present  time  a wide-spread  move- 
ment for  the  new  learning  in  Korea  amounting  practically  to 
an  educational  revolution.  This  has  been  going  on  for  some 
time.  Three  years  ago  it  became  a sort  of  Korean  fad  to 


4 


start  a school,  and  everybody — governors,  magistrates,  town 
officials,  noblemen  of  wealth,  and  middle-class  men — went  to 
heavy  sacrifices  to  bring  the  blessings  of  education  to  their 
children.  Seven  school  boards  would  lay  hold  upon  the 
coat-tails  of  one  teacher 
and  constrain  him  to 
abide  with  them,  with 
the  result  that  the  sal- 
aries for  the  native 
pedagogue  soared  sky 
high,  and  a vast 
amount  of  superficial 
education  was  inaugu- 
rated. This  temporary 
stage  has  passed,  and 
a more  suitable  and 
satisfactory  condition 
prevails  to-day. 

THE  NATIVE  SYSTEM 

OF  EDUCATION 

The  Korean  people 
possess  an  ancient  civ- 
ilization, with  a tradi- 
tion that  extends  back  three  thousand  years.  In  the 
development  of  their  culture,  Buddhism  and  Confucianism 
have  played  important  roles.  Under  these  old  systems  the 
ideal  of  education  was  clearly  set  forth,  and  from  the  earliest 
times  the  highest  value  was  placed  upon  learning.  Educa- 
tion under  the  native  systems  had  a religious  base.  During 
the  predominance  of  Buddhism  the  monasteries  were  the 
schools  and  the  monks  the  teachers.  When  Confucianism 
rose  to  power  the  temples  of  the  Sage  became  the  bulwarks 
of  education,  and  the  possession  of  learning  was  necessary 
to  any  who  desired  to  take  part  in  his  worship.  The  idea  of 
a secular  education  independent  of  and  divorced  from  re- 
ligion was  foreign  to  Korean  modes  of  thought. 

This  religious  ideal  as  determining  education  has  pre- 


KOREAN  BOYS,  CHRISTIAN 


O 


vailed  to  the  present  time,  so  that  when  Christian  mis- 
sionaries first  made  their  appearance  in  Korea,  placing 
emphasis  upon  education  as  a part  of  their  work,  it  was 
regarded  by  the  people  as  quite  the  natural  order,  and  their 
first  impressions  of  Christianity  were  that  it  was  a great 
educative  rather  than  a religious  force. 

The  native  systems  of  education  enjoyed  the  sanction  and 
fostering  care  of  the  government,  although  there  was  no 
system  of  public  schools.  Primary  education  was  obtained 
in  the  numerous  private  schools  throughout  the  country, 
presided  over  by  one  teacher  and  maintained  either  at  the 
expense  of  some  wealthy  gentleman  or  of  a group  of  families. 
The  schoolhouse  itself  was  usually  a room  in  the  house  of 
some  wealthy  villager,  and  the  compensation  of  the  teacher 
amounted  to  little  more  than  his  board  and  lodging. 

The  course  of  study  consisted  of  a diligent  and  perpetual 
attempt  to  memorize  and  master  the  Chinese  classics.  The 
boy  began  his  studies  at  about  the  age  of  six  years  with  a 
small,  easy  primer,  which  familiarized  him  with  a thousand 
Chinese  characters,  many  of  which  he  would  rarely  if  ever 
again  meet  in  the  course  of  a lifetime.  He  then  took  up 
another  primer,  which  instilled  into  his  mind  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  the  Confucian  faith.  This  was  followed 
by  a history  of  China,  consisting  of  numerous  volumes  and 
covering  the  events  in  that  land  down  to  about  A.  D.  1000. 
From  this  historical  work  he  passed  into  the  four  primary 
classics,  consisting  of  “The  Great  Learning,”  by  Confucius; 
“The  Doctrine  of  the  Mean,”  “The  Works  of  Mencius,” 
and  “The  Confucian  Analects.”  He  then  took  up  the  three 
great  classics,  “The  Book  of  History,”  “The  Book  of  Poe- 
try,” and  “The  Book  of  Changes,”  which  may  be  regarded 
as  the  post-graduate  course  of  study.  These  schools  never 
issued  diplomas  and  had  no  recognized  form  of  graduation. 

There  are  no  reliable  statistics  concerning  literacy  among 
the  Korean  people,  but  as  a rule  the  men  of  the  gentry  class 
were  always  more  or  less  educated.  Many  men  of  the  mid- 
dle classes  who  looked  forward  to  employment  as  govern- 
ment clerks  enjoyed  a smattering  of  education.  Possibly 

6 


ten  per  cent  of  the  male  population  of  Korea  might  be  said 
to  have  been  literate  under  the  old  system.  The  women, 
with  certain  rare  exceptions,  were,  as  a rule,  illiterate. 

WHAT  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  HAS  DONE 

In  the  midst  of  conditions  like  these  Christian  education 
was  in  a position  to  make  a very  large  contribution  to  the 
improvement  of  the  Korean  people.  Among  the  many  lines 
of  service  it  has  been  permitted  to  perform  there  are  six 
which  are  particularly  deserving  of  notice. 

1.  Christian  missions  introduced  to  the  Korean  people 
their  first  knowledge  of  the  fundamentals  of  modern  educa- 


INDUSTRIAL  EDUCATION,  CLASS  IN  CARPENTRY  (Y.  M.  C.  A.) 


tion.  In  the  old  schools  there  was  no  study  of  arithmetic 
and  higher  mathematics,  geography,  grammar,  natural 
science,  the  history  of  their  own  nation  and  of  other  nations 
except  China.  These  subjects  were  all  introduced  into  the 
Christian  schools,  and  for  the  first  time  the  Korean  people 
came  to  know  the  things  for  which  these  essentials  stand. 

7 


‘2.  Christian  missions  gave  to  the  Korean  people  their 
first  modern  text-books.  The  subjects  being  new,  there 
were  no  text-books  in  the  Korean  language.  This  task  was 
particularly  difficult  because  the  Korean  language  was 
devoid  of  terms  in  which  the  commonest  teachings  of  arith- 
metic,  geography,  and  the  other  sciences  could  be  expressed. 
Probably  no  more  vitally  important  contribution  to  the 
reconstruction  of  life  in  the  Hermit  Nation  has  been  made 
than  that  which  was  accomplished  at  this  point,  for  Chris- 


COLLEGE  ATHLETICS,  Y.  JV1.  C.  A.  BASE  BALL  NINE, 
PLAYING  IN  SEOUL 

tianity  has  constructed  the  highways  along  which  the  feet 
of  native  thought  must  travel  for  all  time. 

3.  In  bringing  to  the  Korean  people  a new  curriculum, 
with  a new  apparatus  of  text-books,  it  was  necessary  to 
train  a new  staff  of  teachers.  The  native  pedagogues  who 
had  been  developed  under  the  old  system  were  of  little 
service.  Out  of  the  Christian  schools  came  a new  force  of 
teachers,  who  to-day  practically  control  the  educational 
work  in  Korea. 


8 


4.  Christian  educators  introduced  the  idea  of  a graded 
system,  with  schools  united  in  a connectional  bond.  They 
also  established  the  first  large  schools  requiring  a faculty  of 
teachers  rather  than  the  solitary  and  uncontrolled  peda- 
gogue who  set  up  in  the  native  village  as  master  of  the  birch 
rod.  These  schools  involved  the  idea  of  specially  trained 
teachers  for  each  subject.  They  also  brought  together  large 
numbers  of  students,  involv- 
ing the  idea  of  association  for 
educational  purposes.  Thus 
the  student  class  discovered 


its  own  strength. 

5.  Christian  missions  re- 
deemed the  native  writing 
from  the  contempt  with 
which  it  was  held,  and  made 
it  a real  national  agency  in 
education.  The  Koreans  pos- 
sess an  admirable  alphabet 
of  twenty-five  letters,  which 
lends  itself  readily  to  the 
expression  of  native  thought, 
but  because  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  the  Chinese 
ideographs  were  held  the 
people  were  disposed  to  look 
with  contempt  upon  this 
humble  vernacular.  Chris- 
tian missions  adopted  it  and 
printed  the  Bible  and  other 
Christian  books  in  it,  with 
the  result  that  it  has  achieved 
its  rightful  place  as  the  na- 
tional literary  medium  of  the  Korean  people. 

6.  Christian  missions  introduced  to  the  Korean  people 
the  idea  of  schools  for  girls.  The  great  difference  between  a 
non-Christian  system  of  education  and  the  Christian  system 
is  that  while  the  non-Christian  system  has  schools  for  boys, 

9 


KOREAN  GIRLS, 
NON-CHRISTIAN 


the  Christian  system  possesses  schools  for  boys  and  girls. 
There  were  no  schools  for  girls  in  Korea  until  the  Christian 
Church  established  them.  To-day  their  number  is  con- 
stantly increasing. 

These  are  a few  of  the  direct  results  of  missionary  educa- 
tional work  in  Korea.  Leadership  in  this  great  field  is  still 
held  by  the  Christian  forces.  The  Department  of  State  for 
Education  has  recognized  the  Christian  schools  as  part  of 
the  national  system,  registering  them,  and  has  placed  the 
Bible  in  its  list  of  approved  text-books.  In  1909  there  were 
two  thousand  private  schools  in  Korea  registered  in  the 
Department  of  Education,  with  42,000  pupils  in  attendance. 
Of  this  number  over  1,400  schools,  with  probably  28,000 
pupils,  were  under  the  Christian  Church;  thus  out  of  every 
three  boys  getting  their  education  in  Korea,  two  were  in 
Christian  schools. 


OUR  EDUCATIONAL  PLANS 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  a school  system  at 


the  present  time  consisting  of 


KOREAN  GIRL, 
CHRISTIAN 


172  schools,  with  6,083  pupils 
in  attendance.  There  are  183 
theological  students  receiv- 
ing systematic  training,  and 
the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mis- 
sionary Society  maintains 
schools  for  the  training  of 
nurses  and  Bible  women,  and 
there  is  a school  for  the  edu- 
cation of  girls  who  are  blind  or 
who  are  deaf-mutes. 

The  schools  of  our  Mission 
and  their  needs  are  as  follows: 

1.  Pai-chai  High  School 
and  College,  Seoul 
The  oldest  of  our  mission 
schools  is  located  in  Seoul — 
the  first  Christian  school  ever 


10 


opened  in  the  empire  of  Korea.  Its  name,  Pai-chai  Hak-dang, 
was  given  it  by  the  emperor,  and  constitutes  a royal  charter. 
It  means  School  for  the  Training  of  Useful  Men.  It  is  on  an 
English  basis,  and  is  of  a high  school  grade,  with  160  students 
in  attendance.  The  school  occupies  a small  and  entirely  in- 
adequate building  erected  twenty-three  years  ago.  Situated 
in  the  capital  city,  and  with  its  long  and  honorable  history, 
it  attracts  to  it  the  finest  class  of  students.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  if  properly  equipped  with  buildings  and  plant  it  will 


CLASS  ROOM,  MODERN  SCHOOL  (Y.  M.  C.  A.) 


prove  self-supporting.  The  Mission  appeals  for  $45,500  for 
this  school,  to  be  expended  as  follows: 

a.  Administration  building,  including  class- 


rooms, chapel,  and  offices $15,000 

b.  Dormitory  for  250  pupils 5,000 

c.  Laboratory  equipment 2,500 

d.  Gymnasium  building  and  equipment.  . . . 7,500 

e.  Library  building  and  books 5,500 

f.  Twenty  perpetual  scholarships  at  $500 

each 10,000 


Total $45,500 

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2.  Union  Academy  and  College,  Pyeng-yang 
This  is  the  strongest  and  most  successful  Christian  school 
in  Korea.  It  is  a union  institution  maintained  by  the  Boards 
of  the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Episcopal  Churches. 
This  cooperative  arrangement  has  proven  eminently  satis- 
factory and  is  regarded  by  the  missionaries  of  both  churches 
as  essential  to  its  continuance  as  a successful  school.  It 
reports  523  students  in  the  Academy  and  54  in  the  College 


modern  school,  physical  training,  a drill 


Department.  During  the  six  years,  1902-1908,  it  graduated 
92  students  from  the  Academy  and  two  from  the  College, 
while  in  1909  the  graduating  class  in  the  Academy  was  65, 
and  there  were  five  graduates  from  the  College.  In  1909 
the  total  entering  class  to  the  Academy  and  College  num- 
bered 225  students,  and  every  one  was  a professing  Christian. 
The  average  age  of  the  student  body  was  twenty  years; 
more  than  half  of  the  students  were  married  men  and  six 
were  widowers.  Every  student  pays  for  his  education  in 

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money  and  labor.  The  Church  in  Korea  sets  aside  one 
day  each  year  for  prayer  and  for  contributions  to  this  school. 
The  tuition  received  from  the  students  pays  the  salaries  of 
more  than  twenty  Korean  teachers  and  tutors  and  fully 
half  the  running  expenses.  The  amount  appropriated  by 
the  Boards  for  running  expenses  has  never  exceeded  $500 
a year.  The  graduates  and  former  students  are  found  in 
every  walk  of  life  in  North  Korea,  exercising  a potent  in- 
fluence on  the  new-forming  life  of  more  than  three  millions 
of  Koreans  living  in  its  contributory  territory.  The  fol- 
lowing sums  are  appealed  for  to  provide  for  the  Methodist 
share  in  the  plant  and  equipment  of  this  institution. 

a.  Administration  building,  including  class- 


rooms, chapel,  and  offices $20,000 

b.  Laboratory  equipment 2,000 

c.  Heating  plant 1,500 

d.  Twenty  perpetual  scholarships  at  $500 

each 10,000 


Total $33,500 


3.  Biblical  Institute  and  School  of  Theology 
By  formal  agreement  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
South,  a union  Theological  School  is  maintained  in  Korea, 
under  the  control  and  management  of  a joint  Board  of 
Trustees  appointed  by  the  cooperating  Boards.  One  hun- 
dred and  eighty-three  students  are  enrolled,  these  students 
spending  four  months  in  the  classroom  work  and  eight 
months  out  in  the  actual  work  of  the  pastorate.  It  is  hoped 
that  the  time  spent  in  the  classroom  work  may  be  increased 
to  six  months,  thus  giving  half  a year  for  actual  service 
annually  in  the  work  of  the  pastorate.  This  arrangement  is 
necessary  because  the  Church  is  engaged  in  training  the 
first  generation  of  ministers,  and  they  cannot  leave  the 
direct  work  of  the  pastorate  to  give  all  their  time  to  seminary 
residence.  The  plan  is  proving  such  a practical  and  effective 
method  of  ministerial  training  that  the  sentiment  of  the 

13 


Mission  is  to  make  it  the  permanent  order.  For  this  insti- 
tution the  following  sums  are  asked: 

a . Site $5,000 

b.  Administration  building,  including  class- 

rooms, chapel,  and  offices 10,000 

c.  Dormitories  to  accommodate  250  stu- 

dents  7,000 

d.  Bible  school  building  for  lay  preachers 

and  Sunday  school  workers . 4,000 

Total $26,000 


CONFERENCE  ON  LIFE  WORK 
First  Christian  Student  Summer  Conference  held  in  Korea 


4.  Bible  Training  Schools 

At  each  mission  station  there  is  held  during  the  year  a 
series  of  institutes  for  the  study  of  the  Bible  and  of  methods 
of  personal  work.  These  institutes  are  attended  by  local 

14 


preachers,  exhorters,  class  leaders,  and  Sunday  school 
workers  at  their  own  expense.  Many  of  the  men  carry  on 
their  backs  for  a distance  of  from  25  to  100  miles  the  rice 
which  they  will  eat  during  attendance  on  the  institute. 
These  training  schools  have  an  attendance  of  from  250  to 
700,  and  last  from  one  to  three  weeks.  They  are  of  great 
value  and  productiveness  in  developing  an  efficient  volun- 
teer lay  agency  throughout  the  church.  It  is  necessary  that 
there  should  be  proper  buildings  in  which  these  institutes 
may  be  housed,  and  the  following  are  called  for: 

a.  Bible  Training  School  building,  Pyeng- 


yang $2,500 

b.  Bible  Training  School  building,  Kong-ju.  2,500 

c.  Bible  Training  School  building,  Yeng-ben  1,000 

Total $6,000 

5.  High  Schools 


In  addition  to  the  higher  institutions  at  Pyeng-yang  and 
Seoul,  it  will  be  necessary  to  provide  buildings  for  high 
school  purposes  at  the  various  mission  stations,  these  schools 
serving  as  feeders  to  the  central  schools.  The  course  of  in- 
struction in  these  high  schools  will  be  in  the  vernacular,  and 
such  is  the  opening  to  Christian  education  at  these  points 
that  they  will  exercise  a most  potent  influence  for  the  train- 
ing and  development  of  competent  men  in  the  regions  where 
they  are  located.  Four  of  these  are  called  for: 


a.  High  School  building  at  Su-won $3,500 

b.  High  School  building  at  Kong-ju 5,000 

c.  High  School  building  at  Yeng-ben 3,000 

d.  High  School  building  at  Haiju 2,500 


Total $14,000 


6.  Other  Schools 

The  buildings  for  all  primary  schools  are  provided  by  the 
Korean  Christians.  There  are  two  points  where  school 
buildings  will  be  necessary,  the  control  and  use  of  the  same 
to  be  under  the  Mission  rather  than  under  the  native  church. 

15 


These,  therefore,  have  been  incorporated  in  the  Quarter- 
Centennial  budget.  They  are  as  follows: 


a.  Building  at  Pyeng-yang 83,000 

b.  Building  at  Won-ju 1,500 

Total 84,500 


The  total  budget  thus  called  for  amounts  to  8128,500. 
This  amount  would  not  be  regarded  as  adequate  to  build 
and  equip  one  college  in  the  United  States.  In  Korea  it  will 
provide  facilities  for  two  generations  for  a student  body 
that  will  number  annually  ten  thousand  boys  and  young 
men.  Who  can  measure  the  results  which  will  accrue  from 
placing  educational  facilities  within  the  reach  of  ten  thou- 
sand boys  annually?  From  their  number  will  arise  the  men 
who  in  politics,  commerce,  industry,  education,  and  re- 
ligion will  influence  and  direct  the  destinies  of  multiplied 
thousands  of  men  and  women. 

It  is  said  that  opportunity  is  like  a horse  standing  at  one’s 
front  door,  saddled  and  bridled  and  impatient  to  be  off; 
if  mounted,  it  will  carry  its  rider  to  a great  and  glorious 
destiny;  but  if  we  wait  too  long  we  find  that  it  will  pass  on 
■without  us,  and  only  the  echo  of  its  hoof-beats  will  remain 
to  tell  of  a great  possibility  lost.  This  is  true  of  the  educa- 
tional opportunity  in  Korea.  It  must  be  seized  at  the 
present  time  or  we  shall  lose  it  forever. 


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